Clive Coke hails ‘woman power’ in local customs-brokering

Clive Coke, the president of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association (CBFFAJ), has pointed out the growing representation of women in the local customs clearance and logistics trade as a unique strength and proud demonstration of how Jamaica is keeping pace with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals for Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities.

Coke made the observation at the recent 23rd Annual Conference of the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers in Montreal, where he was invited to share a country perspective on how Jamaican customs brokers are creating and leveraging value from their knowledge and expertise.

“More than 40 per cent of the membership of the CBFFAJ are women, who hold 60 per cent of the executive positions in the association’s leadership,” said Coke to the large gathering of government officials and customs brokers and specialists from across Canada. “Woman power and diversity are important for us in Jamaica, we have had four women serving in the role of president over the life of our organisation, which will mark its 60th anniversary in 2025,” he added.

Coke also announced that the CBFFAJ has amended its constitution to admit qualifying candidates from the wider trade and logistics industry as associate members in the association. “This is an appropriate move for us to make in response to the many requests for membership we have had over the years. The CBFFAJ now has the structure and organisation to open the doors with a view to bringing greater formalisation to our dynamic trade,” he said. “It is our view that this will deepen stakeholder integration in the trade facilitation process to make customs clearance operations more efficient, seamless, collaborative, customer friendly and transparent,” said Coke.

Professionals and logisticians, who are not licensed customs brokers, and who are desirous of attaining associate membership in the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association must meet all the requirements to access and carry out transactions on the Jamaica Customs Agency’s ASYCUDA platform.

Associate members must be registered businesses with the Companies Office, and will be bound to the constitution, canons and professional etiquette and practice of the association. They will also benefit from the full array of professional development, advocacy and representation services provided by the CBFFAJ.